Parkrun newbies and trying a sub 30 - keeping each other motivated! 🏃‍♀️ 🎉

Oooh can I join?? I’ve just returned to park run after a ten year break. Am older and fatter and no longer run at all. But suddenly got the urge to return to park run a couple of weeks ago! First one was 38 mins - I was SO pleased with myself. Then last week I nearly killed myself, wore a hoodie, got to hot, got the pace all wrong. Managed 34 mins but felt terrible and went puce. Was 8th out of the 9 women in my age category.

I will be back… minus the hoodie!

I will be doing some parkrun tourism as we’re away for our anniversary. Always exciting to do a new course 😊

AND I had good news at the fracture clinic this week - x-rays show continued healing and the consultant said I can run as much as I want - just take ibuprofen before and after running to manage the pain. Seems a bit sketchy to me - I’m sure that much ibuprofen can’t be good for you… but who am I to argue with the consultant?

My warm up routine before a PB attempt goes something like:

• 1km slow jog
• pogo jumps
• knees up jumps
• strides (a few bursts of short sprints)
• various stretches including calf raises, sweeps, open and close the gate and others I don’t know the names of but focussing on ham strings, hips and and calfs

There are some really good running accounts of Instagram with some nice warm up routines for inspiration. I particularly like runspace_cat (northern no nonsense running advice for all levels) dailyrunnergirl, trackclubbabe (very fast runners but also very practical advice) iamsarahayes, alicemack.physio but there are so many out there.

I have Running Club tomorrow.

Went along to a new Ladies' Walking/Running Club today. Only two of us were there - the other was the lady who told me about it.

She just wanted to walk, so walked round the circuit once and that was it. I might go back myself to try to have a run, but it's only available on Thursday morning - it's primarily a cycle track.

I will be running on Saturday at a new to me parkrun. I went to my first body pump session in over a year yesterday and feeling it in my core today. Extra run on Monday so a three run week this week.

my first parkrun was 4 July, which I completed in 35mins, have managed to get it down to 33mins. Have now joined a running club and the different sessions have really helped with my overall stamina - still struggle towards the end of the 5K though!

Think I need to do a better warm up though as it took me a while to get into a nice rhythm this morning as my legs adjusted - so will try some of those suggestions!

Interesting warm up information! I warm up by walking about a mile to Parkrun and then doing a little stretching when I get there. I am worried that too much warm up will tire me out before I start! And couch to 5k said a brisk 5 mins walk to warm up so I have always stuck with that!

Not so good for me today- just over 34 mins, mostly because my knee is still sore from my fall lady week. Some poor lady did the same thing this week 😞

Can I join in please?

Today I completed my first ever parkrun (33.36), having been encouraged by my couch to 5k course coordinator

Stupid question alert, but is it ok to do my post run stretch after I get home (half hour drive away) or should it be done immediately?

Thx

Congratulations that’s a very respectable time and especially for a first parkrun!

Re stretching, not a stupid question at all! Personally I am terrible at stretching post run but I think the right answer is to stretch immediately. Our local parkrun has a group stretch led by a PT which is so fun but I’m always too busy chatting to join in.

My other tip for parkrun is to pay more attention to your age grade than your time. Age grades are a beautiful thing. I took great joy in pointing out to my competitive younger brother that even with his 20 minute PB, our mum in her sixties has a better age grade. Ha.

Did anyone parkrun this morning? And if so how did it go?

I stayed overnight at friend’s house and we did some parkrun tourism this morning together, followed by brunch. It was absolutely lovely AND I managed to get my best time of the year (and best time post injury) so that has made me really happy all day.

I did! Still recovering from my fall two weeks ago, I was a bit slower today, but I went round!

Well done on your best time of the year @Ricecrispiesatsix. Your morning sounds lovely!

@Ricecrispiesatsix well done getting your best time for this year. I got a PB in January and just cannot manage to beat it.

I did mine. Seemed to be a lot more runners than last week (it’s only my 2nd time so don’t know average numbers yet). Possibly because Joe Wicks was there doing some promotional thingie?

Pace seemed lots faster this week so was able to get a new PB, even with some Jeffing (assume named after chap called Jeff?) up the hills.

another daft question, and am asking as could feel myself getting agitated when people were running past me. As a newbie, is it better to focus on improving times at same location or to experiment with locations first and finding one that suits.

Or should I just remind myself that none of this matters it’s just a fun way of exercising?

Jeffing is named after Jeff Galloway, an American Olympian who died earlier this year.
I'm not sure about trying out different parkruns and I don't think it matters. I like to go to the same one (as I can walk there) and it does mean I can compare times, but going to different ones adds interest.

I'm working on speed at the running club and trying to work on endurance via the Couch to 5k app, but methinks the strategy isn't working. It's possibly a bad idea combining the two.

I did my third 28 minute run today and only managed 6 and (I think) 5/8 of a 400m lap...on a track with a good surface.

I'm telling myself that if I at least keep going then I'm very gradually building endurance.

Oh yes I should imagine Joe Wicks being there would bump the numbers! You can look them up though on the website and see exactly how many people participated in each event - I love stats so this kind of thing weirdly appeals to me.

I think it’s nice to have a “home” parkrun that you do regularly (probably your local) and then tourism every so often keeps it interesting. If your home event is hilly, then doing a different one that’s flat will probably get you a better time and that’s an easy win!

However I can never beat my pb at my (flat) home parkrun because I know my parkrun so well (have done it 200+ times), I know exactly at what point I can go all out. At other parkruns I always hold a little more in the tank right up until I can actually see the finish line.

Don’t be disheartened! The new year is around the corner and then you can set a new best time for 2027. In the meantime think about what was happening back in January… Were you running more consistently, sleeping more, eating differently? Or do you just run well when it’s cold?

I set a pretty fast PB in my twenties before having kids, then spent YEARS thinking I’d never beat it. What changed for me was that a friend who’s older than me and has the same number of kids as me started running and getting faster times. I thought “if she can do it, I can do it” and once I started believing I could, I did!!

Running is SUCH a mental game and half the battle is in your mind. If you tell yourself you’re not going to get a PB, you’re not!

Finally some progress! I was at a flat and fast parkrun today and the weather was perfect for running. Got round in 32 min 55s. Really pleased with that. Fastest time this year.

I have a garmin watch that tracks my distance. It’s not always super accurate so I tend to trust the parkrun route which has (apparently) been mapped out with a trundle wheel so in theory should be fairly precise.

Confused about the pace though because 5.12 average (assuming this is 5 minutes 12 seconds per km?) would give you a 5k time well under 30 minutes…? More like 26 minutes!

Do you use a watch? Phones are notoriously bad at tracking accurate GPS. They usually are a bit too generous and tell you you’re faster and have gone further than you actually have.

I use my garmin watch to track my runs and then upload to Strava. Because, you know, if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen 😂.

went to the last ever parkrun at my local course on Saturday as the landowners pulled the plug with a weeks notice. Massive turn out for the final event. It made for a packed course but a great atmosphere. Sad to see it go as it was a bit different to your standard parkruns.

I love my Garmin! I definitely recommend it to keep track of your runs and to monitor how you're doing during the run. I don't take my phone running as it's too bulky

I use the RunKeeper app on my phone. Today it told me my 5k time was 31.56. Official stat was 31.39. I have an Apple Watch but don’t like it as much as my old Fitbit versa, so tend not to use the activity options.

That sounds like three runs a week?

I try to do a long run on a Monday, track interval session on a Wednesday and parkrun on a Saturday. Will add in another maybe 30 min run in the lead up to my half. Also strength training.

This is all in theory right now as I have a cold and a knee injury and am resting.